IETF Logo Mail Archive

Re: AI slop "contributions" to IETF working groups

Kathleen Moriarty <kathleen.moriarty.ietf@gmail.com> Tue, 10 February 2026 01:20 UTC

Return-Path: <kathleen.moriarty.ietf@gmail.com>
X-Original-To: ietf@mail2.ietf.org
Delivered-To: ietf@mail2.ietf.org
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mail2.ietf.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6EE95B46DE81 for <ietf@mail2.ietf.org>; Mon, 9 Feb 2026 17:20:31 -0800 (PST)
X-Virus-Scanned: amavisd-new at ietf.org
X-Spam-Flag: NO
X-Spam-Score: -2.099
X-Spam-Level:
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.099 tagged_above=-999 required=5 tests=[BAYES_00=-1.9, DKIM_SIGNED=0.1, DKIM_VALID=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_AU=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_EF=-0.1, FREEMAIL_FROM=0.001, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE=-0.0001, SPF_HELO_NONE=0.001, SPF_PASS=-0.001] autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no
Authentication-Results: mail2.ietf.org (amavisd-new); dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=gmail.com
Received: from mail2.ietf.org ([166.84.6.31]) by localhost (mail2.ietf.org [127.0.0.1]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id NdB3b2pO-yvO for <ietf@mail2.ietf.org>; Mon, 9 Feb 2026 17:20:31 -0800 (PST)
Received: from mail-qv1-xf36.google.com (mail-qv1-xf36.google.com [IPv6:2607:f8b0:4864:20::f36]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (128/128 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature ECDSA (P-256) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) by mail2.ietf.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id A7813B46DE72 for <ietf@ietf.org>; Mon, 9 Feb 2026 17:20:30 -0800 (PST)
Received: by mail-qv1-xf36.google.com with SMTP id 6a1803df08f44-896f6d4b6c1so26598446d6.2 for <ietf@ietf.org>; Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:20:30 -0800 (PST)
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20230601; t=1770686424; x=1771291224; darn=ietf.org; h=to:in-reply-to:cc:references:message-id:date:subject:mime-version :content-transfer-encoding:from:from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id :reply-to; bh=vxJw3IJ49nl7t3jZuv05icarl7mvdy01AJ9VncG+iDk=; b=FNCfaxX98XetBHe+bXTFnxdrie+qNSQFGSfqxEWPM1TzzkwlonsNHa6H51H83Vj5Q+ IOxRLIlmRFpGi2q4qX1ai7oOrIHks8x1SFwUIESMMN47+uOHUPn7xuZXERbhgXXozm49 1+MNKcQsWkJcD8KsWfIQO6koE1t5rvZna9yaHNX2EyIUCuwDYL3xS1eKGzEnPwETC7p3 xQ2L/79h8Vk/yUAfrIjonQUQWP8fNv3yyS4mWj28xjz2lHOXHGfaJ9Z2CAgeVsGtAz5U 9N/Q2g1svf9UUqtnmJe90hCrqf+khv/4o0uaJD8UelPdm/m0B2Zndo0zKP2FIBl5l9hj KEwg==
X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1770686424; x=1771291224; h=to:in-reply-to:cc:references:message-id:date:subject:mime-version :content-transfer-encoding:from:x-gm-gg:x-gm-message-state:from:to :cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=vxJw3IJ49nl7t3jZuv05icarl7mvdy01AJ9VncG+iDk=; b=rcAaRf/ujizOhxQirSLZmig1UHALQKzRwNwXzpD3gLO8ce4+SGug/KvCRMMLprERuo IdS57X5/6j3jGFgR6wKUOtVSmk1huOL7d2geG8I3KPxAzoApNTK4nheF4e1tBpka5bjp 1l85DzpOoQjDzVZVb7gdVLlqq5RtMffnDZiZG5XanKkCHsv1X9TxHIE8dJpbnqMnckA+ 00DJKpd9nSHLRpcMlTnBNYVXbJARYlXLIdHjQ/gu3xi6D6onHeAur8/9HKhBtndIXZXJ EFqKJAmywqEvuwJp4loE0DdHj9pnnuKlI/EnkxfQBr0NTm8EnzlzsJOeetQJ4W12bBnM T9Fw==
X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0Yw4fLzHGvDNotrH3E+YUlMmygJU08g6/TmX8mvW+5hCDfo2TMrV V+k5SNZUflChaBJ+8xAOhQeoTzCuckL21IlU5TjNwdBiAczSTcklmAwX
X-Gm-Gg: AZuq6aIHnZY5iUZccaJLwAD7MkSAX82BCQ6u4PFqmoOTEHrlgNiKGLULuo4OwMwPUGl VoRvXlnWUSoxuxxkX6NoeTaj00LUoAOHIPtRaGVj5XXHIsIW9Uon/SyoauiyK/mXDiMFstPu2s/ sI6ShhUpySn2gv6kE6gVg+chFef00cQY4+HteKCMklX9BJ1uhlGZ86I8Td73bw9i1itn51XOws+ hMtRGyq/XEvvEG5/xccf2zmEEsdsMTQHAmJwZJxFsN1fLeYOcXUmoEdywY4CjKCprkFdEUc2M5i Km2fRNBNEVQ3+LefDtR8Y7DgyhgaQ4/zwEdrDwO0tj9FvvBqjF7eOuxUxJ7D3WHqF1e0V2dECOK 3kPmTwGZj6s4MMF9cGla4WQ0bnqQr1ij+69sMVBhxyeSzQSEOx7aLK/YlXfZnObhpWVPwxS0Zu4 mMHgpkZuHPkC+fcZi0G06wC0EbSscEvZsXa++wmi0uQ3q+RBtvUfAFw3FfR1szRBZ5OX6BvndP2 xz6EbF3xYVXAImZylTIqwpgfX/fkzEd1x1oqsgI5/x6LasreYJudEnk6b6eCgo1Twha+S5lj70w ATKdlzCn6+tv+8ao8dAMirl5
X-Received: by 2002:a05:6214:409:b0:888:4930:4c8b with SMTP id 6a1803df08f44-8970e602f34mr7145816d6.69.1770686423510; Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:20:23 -0800 (PST)
Received: from smtpclient.apple (209-6-123-179.s3249.c3-0.arl-cbr1.sbo-arl.ma.cable.rcncustomer.com. [209.6.123.179]) by smtp.gmail.com with ESMTPSA id 6a1803df08f44-8953c0599b4sm90381616d6.41.2026.02.09.17.20.23 (version=TLS1_3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256/256); Mon, 09 Feb 2026 17:20:23 -0800 (PST)
From: Kathleen Moriarty <kathleen.moriarty.ietf@gmail.com>
X-Google-Original-From: Kathleen Moriarty <Kathleen.Moriarty.ietf@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Mime-Version: 1.0 (1.0)
Subject: Re: AI slop "contributions" to IETF working groups
Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:20:12 -0500
Message-Id: <90BF553A-0EB2-4113-AF56-065DA508BAAC@gmail.com>
References: <cd492277-0bca-4219-a3ad-eb75ccd2ebe7@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <cd492277-0bca-4219-a3ad-eb75ccd2ebe7@gmail.com>
To: Brian E Carpenter <brian.e.carpenter@gmail.com>
X-Mailer: iPhone Mail (23C71)
Message-ID-Hash: BUY2O63IHCAKQPGQIHG4DUNTQQWC353U
X-Message-ID-Hash: BUY2O63IHCAKQPGQIHG4DUNTQQWC353U
X-MailFrom: kathleen.moriarty.ietf@gmail.com
X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; header-match-ietf.ietf.org-0; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header
CC: ietf@ietf.org
X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.9rc6
Precedence: list
List-Id: "IETF-Discussion. This is the most general IETF mailing list, intended for discussion of technical, procedural, operational, and other topics for which no dedicated mailing lists exist." <ietf.ietf.org>
Archived-At: <https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/ietf/9Mcb74tpgzaH0lU-625TZJVW5Gc>
List-Archive: <https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/browse/ietf>
List-Help: <mailto:ietf-request@ietf.org?subject=help>
List-Owner: <mailto:ietf-owner@ietf.org>
List-Post: <mailto:ietf@ietf.org>
List-Subscribe: <mailto:ietf-join@ietf.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:ietf-leave@ietf.org>

Sent from my mobile device

> On Feb 9, 2026, at 3:14 PM, Brian E Carpenter <brian.e.carpenter@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> On 08-Feb-26 14:55, John Levine wrote:
>> It appears that Bob Hinden  <bob.hinden@gmail.com> said:
>>> I like the idea of requiring a disclosure that an Internet Draft was written with AI tools.  I agree probably not for emails.
>> I expect that the people whose drafts most suffer from being written by an LLM will lie about it, either because
>> their English is too poor to understand the rules, or they have perverse incentives like an an employer that
>> gives them a bonus for publishing an RFC.
>> Then what?  I'm not saying we shouldn't ask, but I'm saying we need to be prepared for noncompliance.
> 
> Of course, but if we make it a submission requirement - check the "AI used" box - there's really no harm, no shame.
> 
> Actually there are perhaps two boxes to check:
> 
> 1. Was AI used in the production of this draft? [yes/no]
> 2. If yes, did the authors personally verify the AI-generated material? [yes/no]
> 
> The attachment was generated by ChatGPT.

Another interesting question would be to see if AI implemented the draft. Is the draft written clearly enough that AI is able to produce a reasonable enough version.

Best regards,
Kathleen

> 
>   Brian
> <qq.svg>

v2.41.0 | Report a Bug | By Email | System Status